At long last we ARE starting to move away from the ungodly dualistic secular v holy divide.
I don't remember the last time I thanked a car mechanic or garbage man for his/her service in the kingdom - ouch - but there are signs that we are - in little ways - moving into embracing the priesthood of all believers.
I really am longing though for more affirmation - especially from the pulpit - for the people of God going about the business of God - in every day situations - and really equipping them to be salt and a light. Of revealing Jesus where they are.
And yeah I hope that this generation will NOT continue to repeat the mistakes of our forefathers/mothers and fail to encourage youngsters in their career choices as if you are not serving God unless you become a pastor, worship leaders, Sunday school teacher, missionary or stay-at-home-mum raising Christian kids.
We've begun to take tiny steps in the right direction - and as Neil Armstrong said -a giant step for mankind.
Thanks for making me articulate this -early in the morning here. It IS important!
A great beginning, Sarah. There is far too much compartmentalization in every aspect of life, imo -- "fragmented" is a good way to put it. So many of the boundaries are in all the wrong places. But, as you (and Schaeffer) say, the boundary is the one that defines sin.
I'm looking forward to continuation of this discussion!
Interesting topic, there's so much to say. I apologize in advance for my lengthy comment. If you don't want to read it all, skip to the end where I try to provide an assessment for how we can know that our work is done for the kingdom of God.
I wholeheartedly agree that secularization is one of the biggest problems for Christians today. I think there are no real boundaries between our spiritual lives (church, devotional times, bible studies…) and our secular lives (work, entertainment, leisure…), only superficial ones.
Our spiritual and secular interests vie for our attention, and only one prevails. I think the point Schaeffer was making was that, by separating the two, we have lost already. We may give lip service to God, but we give to the world the fruit of our labor. Everyday there’s some measure of productivity. And, for most people, all of it goes to the world, none of it goes to the kingdom of God.
If our work was does with the mindset that we labor unto the Lord, then there would be lasting fruit. I’ve listed four things below that I think are indications of work done for the kingdom of God.
In my secular career (I worked for eight years as a government attorney), I felt that I was serving God more by doing my actual work than by witnessing to those around me. I was engrossed in the work (which involved intense research and writing) and had little opportunity to engage in conversations with other people. But everyone knew I was a Christian, and so I made sure that I did my work in a way that was beyond reproach.
I left the law to pursue a career in academia, but I know it was God who gave me a strong legal mind, not only for the work that I did, but also for the work that I will do (one of my areas of interest is legal philosophy—particularly, divine justice). God not only gave us spiritual gifts, but He also had a hand in our personalities, our talents and abilities, and our opportunities. So I think we have a duty to God to use all of these things to His glory—whatever our calling.
I understand that it’s hard sometimes to see secular work as kingdom work. After over five years of practicing law, I began to feel a nagging sense that I was wasting the resources that God had given me. When I worked, my mind was entirely consumed by the complex issues and cases before me—an entire day could go by without even giving a thought to God or anything else. 8-10 hours a day (most of my waking hours) were spent on something that I began to feel had little or no eternal value. The nature of my work required intense concentration and there was nothing that I could do to change this. So, after much prayer and consideration, I decided to use my God-given resources—my researching and writing skills—on issues that somehow would advance the kingdom of God. I don’t regret my eight years practicing law. But, at this point in my life, obeying God’s calling meant leaving my secular job.
I think all of us need to assess whether we are engaged in work that: (1) is compatible with kingdom values (I knew an exotic dancer, who, after being born again, felt compelled to quit her job); (2) is the best use of our God-given resources; (3) somehow directly or indirectly advances the kingdom of God; and (4) can be performed in a way that is biblical and ethical.
There are a couple of other things that I wanted to say, but I’ve gone on long enough. I’ll save the rest for another day.
